The Federal Government of Nigeria said it would stop granting licences to gas companies with no capacity to build pipelines for gas distribution. This was the aftermath of the gas explosion which claimed a life in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital last Saturday.
The Minister of State For Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, disclosed this when he visited Abeokuta for an on-the-spot assessment of the Saturday’s CNG explosion at Ita Oshin.
Ekpo noted that the development became imperative to discourage the transportation of compressed natural gas through the roads.
Recall that a Gasco Marine-owned CNG gas truck which had suffered a brake failure, rammed into the road barricade and went up in flames, killing one person and razing some vehicles.
After being welcomed at the state by Governor Dapo Abiodun and his deputy, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, Ekpo said he was sent by President Bola Tinubu to investigate the incident’s underlying cause and express sympathy to the Ogun State people.
Ekpo stated that the nation needed to switch from fossil fuel to compressed natural gas (CNG), but he also disclosed that he had instructed Farouk Ahmed, the CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), to stop awarding licences to those who were unable to pipe CNG to the final consumers.
The gas minister stressed that virtual gas transportation needed to end and stated that the Federal Government was working nonstop to construct pipelines that would allow CNG to be sent smoothly.
He said that doing so would save lives and property by averting explosions on the roadway.
Ekpo stressed that despite the incident, CNG remains a better alternative to petrol, urging Nigerians not to be discouraged.
“This is better than even fuel if you look at what happened in Port Harcourt where lives were lost and so many vehicles burnt. It is better we go this route,” he added.
He harped on the importance of companies using only quality cylinders for the distribution of gas to avoid incidents.
Speaking, the NMDPRA boss, Ahmed, assured Nigerians that the agency is working with the Standard Organisation of Nigeria and the Federal Road Safety Corps to forestall similar explosions on the road.
Ahmed maintained that some of the accidents occur due to the roadworthiness of the vehicle.
He added that training programmes are being organised for truck drivers to ensure safety on the road.
